This invention relates to a prosthesis for use in the surgical correction of certain mitral or tricuspid valvular disorders.
In cases of valvular insufficiency, it is common practice to retain the natural valves of a valvule and to correct the deficiencies in it. There are at present various surgical correction techniques and, in particular, the annular prostheses developed by Dr. Alain Carpentier described in French Pat. No. 69.024.41 and its first Certificate of Addition No. 69.441.24. However, these annular prosthese have certain disadvantages: they are rigid and flat whereas the valvules often have an awkward shape; their application to the initial ring may not be perfect; and they have to be sewn over their entire periphery which is an extremely delicate operation, especially in the vicinity of the His bundle. In addition, experience in functional mitral or tricuspid valvuler deficiencies has shown that the septal valve is rarely affected and that its length may be used as a base for determining the length which the other two valves ought normally to have. In fact the surgical correction comprises restoring the distended perimeter of the valves to the theoretical perimeter.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a prosthesis for mitral and tricuspid valvuloplasty which has advantages over the known prostheses both at the level of supplying surgical blocks and from the operational and post-operational levels.